On November 6th 2025, Aston Villa hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv in the fourth game of the league phase in this seasons Europa League.
The match ended in a 2-0 victory to the Villains, but this was not the main talking point to stem from the match.
This came weeks before the match even kicked off and that was the decision made by, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, to ban the fans of the Israeli team from attending the fixture.
The ban was in place because the Birmingham Safety Advisory cited previous unrest that made this fixture ‘high risk’.
It has been alleged that these campaigners wanted to camp outside the hotel of the players and fans, to force the police force into the eventual cancellation of the fixture.
The decision has been very contentious to the public and it broke today after an inquest into the decision that the Police Chief used AI that mislead MPs.
The information was discovered when the AI detailed a completely fictitious match between West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Guildford has insisted that the force ‘do not use AI’ personally to the MPs and has claimed that the error came from an incorrect Google search.
He has since admitted to the use of AI in the report, and he comes under a lot of pressure in his job. It is “not at all clear” that he will keep his job.
This news emerges at a time where the West Midlands Police have made a series of admissions about errors in their intelligence. After previously apologising for claiming they consulted Jewish groups ahead of the banning of their attendance at this fixture, when in fact, they had not.
Guildford has also come under fire for negligence towards the pro-Palestinian campaigners, after information has emerged that there were plans in place to stop the game altogether.
It has been alleged that these campaigners wanted to camp outside the hotel of the players and fans, to force the police force into the eventual cancellation of the fixture.
More to follow.
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